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World Famous Writers Requested Saakashvili to Protect Their Georgian Colleagues

September 13, 2010
Aleko Tskitishvili

The president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili received two protest letters from the world union of writers – International PEN and its American center. The world famous writers, among whom are laureates of the Nobel Reward, were concerned by detention and fining of the three members of the Georgian center of the International PEN – Irakli Kakabadze, Shota Gagarin and Aleksi Chighvinadze. Mario Vargas LIosa, Tony Morison, Rachel Benz and other famous writers request the president of Georgia, chief prosecutor and public defender to protect the rights of Kakabadze, Gagarin and Chighvinadze.

We kindly remind you that on August 14, publicist Irakli Kakabadze and poets Shota Gagarin and Aleksi Chighvinadze held protest demonstration in George Bush Street in Tbilisi. They protested the name of the street and requested to rename it into Walt Whitman Street. The protest rally –“No Bush! Whitman for Ever!” – ended with the detention of the poets (the full information on the following link: www.humanrights.ge/index.php?a=article&id=5345&lang=en)

“Your excellence, on behalf of 3 500 members of PEN American Center, the largest center of the International PEN,” starts the letter of the PEN American Center. The International PEN clarifies to the high-ranking governmental officials of Georgia that their appeals express the position of almost 144 working centers in 101 member states.

Both appeals are very strict. The writers cannot hide their astonishment about arbitrary detention of their Georgian colleagues and various violations which followed the detention. In parallel to it, the both appeals express deep concern for the dismissal of the Poet Shota Gagarin (penname for Shota Dighmelashvili) from the magazine “Tabula”.

Reportedly, Tamar Chorgoleishvili, the wife of the deputy foreign minister of Georgia – Giga Bokeria, is the editor of the magazine “Tabula”. Shota Gagarin was text-corrector for the edition. Chorgoleishvili informed him about dismissal on the social network Facebook. Gagarin said the editor explained the decision by his social activities and added that he had to agree all his public activities with her.

Currently, Shota Gagarin is sought. Before that, the Georgian center of the International PEN is getting stronger. The International PEN is a human rights organization for writers and journalists. They periodically raise voice against human rights violations and homophobia. Short time ago, the Georgian office of the PEN elected the new board and became more active. Shota Gagarin, Aleksi Chighvinadze and Irakli Kakabadze are the members of the Georgian PEN. Kakabadze is also a member of the International PEN. He informed the famous writers about the incident which occurred in Georgia.

American PEN sent the copies of the appeal to Saakashvili to the Ambassador of Georgia in the USA Batu Kutelia and US State Secretary Hillary Clinton. The addressees of the appeal also are the chief prosecutor and public defender of Georgia.

The chairperson of the Georgian center of the International PEN Davit Kartvelishvili reported to the Human Rights Center that after the official appeal of the American PEN was published famous American writer Rachel Benz and Chilean-American dramatist Ariel Dorfman sent private letters in support of the detainees. The world famous writers John Ralston Saul, Homero Aridjis, Maria Vargas LIosa, Margaret Atwood, Tony Morison, Frank Geer, and Sara White responded to the appeal of the International PEN.

You can read the appeals of the International PEN and its American center on the following links:

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